Before end 2013 MCIA to announce winning bidder of expansion project

CEBU, Philippines - Before the year ends, the preferred bidder for the P17.5 billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) expansion project will finally be announced.

MCIA General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said last Sunday that the final stage for the bidding process of the Mactan-Cebu airport terminal expansion project is underway as the seven prequalified groups have submitted their respective proposals to the Prequalification, Bidding and Awards Committee (PBAC).

PBAC is chaired by Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla.

The seven bidders for the public-private partnership (PPP) project include MPIC-JGS Airport Consortium, led by businessman Manuel Pangilinan's Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings, Premier Airport Group of the SM Group, First Philippine Airports of the Lopez family, Filinvest-CAI led by the Gotianun family's Filinvest Group, GMR Infrastructure-Megawide Consortium, and San Miguel-Incheon Airport consortium.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said the technical documents will be evaluated by the department within 20 days of bid evaluation and be opened thereafter. After which, the financial bids that were also submitted last Thursday would be opened as well.

DOTC announced that it would take at least a total of 35 days before the awarding.

Villarete explained earlier that an evaluation process that would take around two months shall follow after the bidding. 

MCIA officials are hopeful to turn over the project by September or October of next year.

The Aquino administration's first airport PPP deal includes the construction of a new international passenger terminal that can process eight million passengers annually and the improvement of its existing terminals.

Meanwhile, Villarete expressed optimism that the newest direct flight of Air Asia Zest will complement with the projected improvement of MCIA.

Last December 1, the low cost carrier launched its first international flight from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was operated by an all-Filipino crew and carried 128 guests.

He cited the landing of the world's biggest aircraft, Antonov An-225, from Ukraine last November 12 that delivered a 140-ton power generator to the Philippines.

"If an Antonov could land in Mactan, then we can get anything else to land here," Villarete proudly stated. /JOB (BANAT NEWS)